


A Walk in the Park

by alxnikki



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: 221bConFanFiction2018, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff, M/M, Sherlock loves dogs, dogwalker AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 10:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14734847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alxnikki/pseuds/alxnikki
Summary: Sherlock hangs out at Regent's Park for two reasons: cute dogs and the incredibly dreamy man who walks them.





	A Walk in the Park

Living so close to Regent’s Park had its perks. For Sherlock, the biggest perk was the handsome dog walker who walked there everyday between ten and eleven A.M. without fail. The first day he observed the dog walker, he was actually paying more attention to the dogs. In fact, he went frequently to watch the dogs. He loved dogs and had not had a dog since he was a child. University campus didn’t allow dogs in the dorms, and after university, his drug habit took priority. There was no way he could take care of himself and another living creature when he was using. Since moving to the new flat on Baker Street, Sherlock has been clean. One full year is quite the accomplishment, but he had been so busy assisting the Met with cases which left little time to take care of a dog. Seeing that dog walker made his desire for a dog much stronger. He was far too shy to approach the handsome man without some help. Having a dog with him would give him an excuse to walk up to him and introduce himself. It was one thing when he was on a case, but outside of work, he struggled to come out of his shell. He didn’t have any friends, and never dated. Simply going to Regent’s Park to gaze at the dog walker was blissful, but he wanted more. He was tired of looking and not touching. 

Today was different; today, he was getting a dog.

Sherlock had seen an ad on a local shelter’s social media page about a “curvy Corgi.” The female corgi needed an owner who was able to take the dog on frequent walks so she could lose weight. He had inquired about adopting her, and after interviewing with them and a visit to his flat, she was his. He put a brand new, violet colored leash and collar in his coat pocket and went outside to catch a cab. Once at the shelter, he was given a folder with all of the pup’s information. She is a three year old, pure blood Pembroke Welsh Corgi, spayed, up to date on her shots, housebroken, good with people and other animals, high energy, and loves to run. Her name is Pippa. 

When Pippa first saw Sherlock, she got excited, ran up, and jumped on him. Sherlock smiled, “Now Miss Pippa, you musn’t jump on me, good dogs don’t do that.”   
Pippa understood and sat at Sherlock’s feet, nudging them with her nose. Sherlock patted her head, “Good girl, now let me put your collar and leash on.”   
He reached into his pocket for the items and carefully put them on her, adjusting the collar as needed. “Excellent, now why don’t we head to the park and take a nice, long walk.” 

It was nine thirty in the morning and he had a date with the handsome dog walker. The dog walker was completely unaware of that fact, but he’ll soon find out.   
Sherlock found a cab willing to take his new friend in, and headed to the park. He plotted how to enter to the park to make the meeting with the dog walker look like a chance encounter. Also, he had to make sure to bump into the dog walker early enough, so that he can spend as much time with the handsome man as possible. The cab arrived right on time, and Sherlock tipped him well for not being an idiot. Naturally, Sherlock had deduced the dog walker’s route weeks ago and knew all of the best viewing spots. He led Pippa to the area of the park that he believed would be the least conspicuous and would grant him maximum dog walker time. 

“Act natural, Pippa, you really want to sniff this patch of grass.” 

Pippa looked up at him with a judgemental look on her face and went back to sniffing all of the other dogs’ smells in the vicinity. Just as he had deduced, the dog walker came around the corner, walking directly towards them with three dogs on his leash. The sun reflected off of his sandy blond hair, complimenting his tanned face, and bringing out the rich blue of his eyes. Sherlock knew he was a goner. Pippa saw the other dogs and tugged on her leash to get a closer look. Sherlock smiled, “Okay Miss Pippa, let’s go introduce ourselves.” He followed an eager Pippa to the sidewalk, directly in the path of the dog walker. The dog walker grinned at Pippa and stopped his dogs in their path. 

“Well hello there!” The dog walker called out as knelt to the ground to greet Pippa. His dogs all sat in front of him, trying to get a closer look at Pippa. Sherlock sped up to stop Pippa from tugging too hard on her leash. 

“Pippa, please slow down.” Sherlock tried not to sound so fake when “scolding” her. “I’m very sorry if we are inconveniencing you.”

The dog walker chuckled, “Oh, it’s really no trouble, I’m always happy to say hi to a dog.” 

Pippa and the other dogs were sniffing each other excitedly. Sherlock smiled and knelt down to pet the other dogs. “I love dogs. Are they yours, or are you employed as a walker?”

The handsome man reached in his pocket and pulled out a business card, handing it to Sherlock. “My flat would never allow me to have a dog, so I walk them.” 

Sherlock read over the business card that said “John Watson will walk any dog, anytime, anywhere. To inquire, call 01632 960816.”   
“Nice to meet you, John Watson.”

John smiled, “Do you have a business card for me?” He said it jokingly, but Sherlock reached in his inner coat pocket and pulled out his card. 

John took it, reading it out loud. “Sherlock Holmes, the World’s Only Consulting Detective. thescienceofdeduction.co.uk. What is a consulting detective?”

Sherlock beamed, “I invented the job, I assist the police as well as take on private cases.”

John laughed, “Hold on, the police don’t consult amateurs.”

Sherlock stared him down for a few moments, “I’m no amateur.”

“Prove it then.”

“Where were you stationed, Afghanistan or Iraq?”

“Afghanistan, but how did you know?”

“Your tan is only on your hands and your face, if you had gone on holiday, your tan would be more extensive. Your haircut is neat and very short, it’s not your preferred style, but it’s what you are used to. You’re left handed, I can see that by where you wear your watch, yet you’re holding the leash with your nondominant hand, that tells me you have an injury on your left side. An injury would explain why you are no longer in the military.” 

John looked at Sherlock quite seriously, “That’s incredible.”

Sherlock was stunned, “Really?”

John nodded, “Truly amazing.”

Sherlock smiled at him, “Thank you. I was hoping not to offend you in any way.” 

“Not offended, just impressed.”

“People are usually not that kind about my deductions.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Unfortunately. Enough about me, Mr. Watson what branch of military did you serve in?”

John chuckled, “It’s Dr. Watson, actually, I was a doctor in the Army. I was shot in my left shoulder, so I cannot perform surgery anymore.”

Sherlock smiled, “So I was right, magnificent.”

“Yes, you were right about everything. Now, tell me about your dog.”

Sherlock smiled sweetly, “This is Pippa, she’s a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and I just adopted her today.”

John petted Pippa’s big ears, “Well if you need someone to walk this little lady, you have my card.”

Sherlock nodded, “Absolutely, your other dogs are well trained. I can tell that you’re very good with them.”

John chuckled, “Wish I could take credit for the training, I just pick them up and come to the park. They are very good listeners.”

Sherlock smiled, “They have an excellent leader.” He winked at John. He desperately hoped that John was picking up on his flirting. 

John smiled at him and stood up, his dogs getting restless. “I have to continue with my walk or I’ll never get the dogs back home on time. Care to walk with me?” 

Sherlock swore he was going to faint right then and there. He took a deep breath, stood up, and composed himself. “Absolutely, it will do Pippa well to socialize and get to know the park.”

“You certainly don’t need to get to know the park.” John chuckled. Sherlock looked at him puzzled. “I see you here every morning, you’re usually sitting on a bench. See, I can do that thing, too.”

Sherlock blushed, “By that thing, you mean making a deduction.”

“Oh, that’s what you call seeing through people?”

“Yes, precisely.” Sherlock was at a loss for words at this point, he had no idea what to do next. John could sense the growing silence and tugged lightly on the dogs’ leash. 

“Shall we walk on, Mr. Holmes?” Sherlock grinned.

“Sherlock, please.” He winked as he started walking by John’s side.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I am very late posting this. I wrote this during 221bcon, partially at the writer's suite, the rest on my plane ride back to STL. I am incredibly grateful to all of the panel hosts, the 221bcon writer's suite, and all of my new friends. It was an amazing experience, I learned a lot, and I cannot wait to go next year. I tend to write what I know, so naturally dogwalking/petsitting is my side job. This work is not beta'd, so if you find mistakes, my bad. Enjoy the cuties.


End file.
